KANSAS CITY — The American Society of Baking (ASB) named Kristen Spriggs its new executive director, replacing Kent Van Amburg, who will retire March 2.

Ms. Spriggs has spent more than 20 years in membership-based organizations, leading efforts to build community in partnership with volunteer leaders and staff.

“Kristen’s extensive experience in board and committee governance, event management, as well as leading teams and organizations through transformational change, made her the ideal candidate to shepherd ASB into a new era,” said Brittny Ohr, ASB board chairman and chairman of the Executive Search Committee. “We are really excited as her passion for innovation and collaborative approach comes at the right time in ASB’s history, with the succession of Kent Van Amburg, who brought stability and focus to ASB when he joined the organization in 2010.”

Ms. Spriggs spent 17 years at the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies and most recently served as chief member services officer for the American Society for Quality, which has a global membership of more than 60,000 members.

“ASB has a strong foundation and, throughout all my discussions with the board of directors, I can see there are tremendous opportunities for us to enhance our service to the industry,” Ms. Spriggs said. “I could feel the strong bonds and familial nature among peers that connect individuals to one another in this industry – it was a huge piece of what attracted me to this role. I’m excited to do this in partnership with the other trade organizations and many other service partners who are invested in our industry’s success.”

Ms. Spriggs has a bachelor’s degree in public relations and marketing from Indiana State University.

She will assume her role at the conclusion of the annual BakingTech, conference held Feb. 28 to March 2 in Chicago.